Textile printing apparatus



July 22, 1941.

M. N. BULFORD TEXTILE PRINTING APPARATU;

Filed Aug. 30, 1939 373 zaz 42B 2 Sheets-Sheet l lNVENToR M07222 MBo/foz'd ATTORNEYS Patented July 22, 1941 TEXTILE PRINTING APPARATUS Murray N. Bulford, Clearwater, United Merchants & Manufacturers, km,

S. 0., assignor to New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application August 30, 1939, Serial No. 292,595

14 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in textile printing apparatus.

Its object is to provide a simple and efficient arrangement of mechanisms, including a printing machine, for leading the fabric to be printed to the printing machine under desired tension and in proper relation to the printing roll or rolls of the printing machine, both as to its width and alinement.

In Patent No. 2,158,927, issued to me May 9,

1939, I have shown an arrangement for stretching a fabric on a tenter frame to a width corresponding to the width of the engraved portion of the printing roll or rolls of a printing machine and delivering the fabric directly from the tenter frame to the printing machine. I have now arranged a different combination of instrumentalities for accomplishing a like result with its attendant advantages, some of which are the elimination of mackgreys, saving of coloring matter, maintaining an even pattern in relation to the selvage of the cloth, increasing the speed of printing and minimizing the need of attendance. 4 I will describe my invention in thefollowing specification and point out, its novel features in.

appended claims.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is. a side elevation of a printing machine and other mechanisms which are arranged according to and embody my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the printing machine shown in Fig. 1;,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of shown in. Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the stretching machine shownin Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of electrical connections which may be used in carrying out my invention.

the stretching machine It) is a rack for supporting a roll ll of fabric from which a web I2 is drawn by motor driven rolls l3 and 14 into a scray l5. From the scray V the web passes over a roll 2| of a stretching machine 20 of the type known as a rope stretcher, where its edges are engaged between the peripheries of angularly disposed wheels 23A and 2313 under which the web passes and between the wheels and belts 24A, 24B and thence over a roll 25 to a tensioning device 50.

The wheels 23A and 23B are mounted on axles 25A, 25B supported in hearings on pedestals rising from adjustable frames 26A and 26B pivoted at 21A, 213 to a base 28.. .29 is a motor which drives a gear 30 whichengages gears 3IA, MB on frame 53.

are mounted on piston rods 55, 55 which are conshafts 25A, 253 respectively, to drive the wheels V 23A, 23B invunison. These gears are arranged to be in engagement throughout the various adjusted positions of the frames 26A, 263 which will now be described.

32A, 32B are threaded shafts in pedestals rising from the base 28. These shafts engage nuts 33A,'33B pivotally mounted on the frames 26A, 263 to adjust the angularity of the frames. Affixed to shafts 32A, 32B are hand wheels 34A, 34B and gears 35A, 353. The gears 35A, 35B engage pinions 36A, 363 which are actuated by electric motors 31A, 31B.

Ropes 38A, 38B are wound around the peripheries of the wheels 23A,-23B to form tires for engaging the edges of the web l2. The belts 24A,

14B run over pulleys 39B, 40B, for example, (see Fig. 1) under the wheel 23B and under tensioning pulleys, such as MB. 4213 is a weight shown attached tothe pulley B as a diagrammatic representation of a means for maintaining the belt under tension. These clamp the edges of the web to the rope tires.

The tensioning device comprises a pair of rolls 5|, 52 in stationary bearings on a frame 53 and a vertically movable roll 54 guided in the The bearings for the movable roll nected to pistons within cylinders 56, 56. 51 are valve controlled air lines leading from a suitable source of air under pressure to the cylinders 56.

The web l2 passes over roll 5|, under roll 54, over roll 52 and thence to the printing machine 60.

6| is the frame of the printing machine. In it is supported a rubber covered pressure cylinder 62, the vertical position of which in the frame 6| may be adjusted by manually operated screws 63, 63. 64 and 65 are engraved printing rolls and 64A, 65A their respective color boxes. The width of the engraved portion of the printing rolls is indicated by the line AB in Fig. which also indicates the width of the web to be printed. 66 is an endless supporting blanket running under the pressure cylinder 62, over supporting rolls 61, 68 and around a tension roll 69 on an adjustable frame. This blanket passes in contact with roll 52 of the tensioning device where it picks up the web l2 and carries driers not shown.

' 10A and 10B are photo-electric tubes, positioned as shown in Figs. land 2, near the point of light may be passed vertically through these tubes to render them more or less active and capable of carrying currents of electricity of varying amounts.

In Fig. 5 an automatically actuated reversing switch is shown between the photo-electric tube A and the motor 31A-7which it controls. The specific circuits used are no part of my invention, but they are so arranged that when the edge of the web I 2 is in the center of the beam of light which passes through tube 10A, the reversing switch is open and the motor is at rest.

If the edges of the web shift transversely toward the center of the printing machine, the amount of current which passes through the tube "A increases and actuates the reversing switch in such a way as to close circuits through motor 31A which cause it to rotate in a direction to move the frame 26A outwardly to bring the edge which it controls of the web l2 back into alinement with the ends of the engraved portions of the printing rolls.

If the edge of the web shifts transversely away from the center of the printing machine it will shut off the beam of light which passes through the tube 10A to render the latter inactive. The reversing switch will then be actuated to close circuits through motor 31A, which cause it to rotate in the opposite direction to move the frame 26A inwardly to bring the edge which it controls of the web I2 back into alinement with the ends of the engraved po f he Prin ing rolls.

It is to be understood that there is a similar arrangement between the tube 123 and the motor 313 to control automatically the position of the frame 263.

The operation further than that already'described, is as follows: The web is fed into the scray where enough of it is accumulated to make it possible to attach the end of a web from a new reel like the reel II when the former reel is entirely unwound, without stopping the machine. Whether or not the web has been stretched previously, the stretching machine brings it to a width corresponding to the width of the engraved portion of the printing rolls as the web enters the printing machine.

If the web I2 is Wider. than the width of the engraved portions of the printing rolls, the angularity of the wheels 23A, 233 may be reversed to bring the web to the desired width. The advantages of this operation are fully set forth in my Patent No. 2,158,027, to which reference has been made previously.

The tensioning device interposed between the stretching machine and the printing machine provides a means for obtaining the exact tension desired on the web as it passes through the printing machine. This is particularly desirable in connection with the other instrumentalities described, as an object of the whole combination is to provide an arrangement for high speed printing without the need of skilled attendants.

It is to be understood that the various parts shown and described-are diagrammatic and that many variations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention. I intend no limitations other than those imposed by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A textile printing machine comprising a 2,250,089 where the web [2 passes into the printer. Beams posed means on each side of a web to be printed, for engaging the edges of the web to bring the web to a width corresponding to the width of said engraved portion of the roll and to direct the web to said roll, and automatic means independently moving the edges of the web laterally into alinement with the ends of the engraved portion of the printing roll.

2. A textile printing machine comprising a printing roll having an engraved portion of predetermined width combined with angularly disposed means on each side of a. web to be printed, for engaging the edges of the web to bring the web to a width corresponding to the width of said engraved portion of the roll and to direct the web to said roll, manual means for adjusting the angularity of said engaging means, and automatic means for independently varying the angularity of said engaging means to move the edges of the web laterally into alinement with the ends of the engraved portion of the printing roll.

3. A textile printing machine comprising a printing roll having an engraved portion of predetermined width combined with angularly disposed means on each side of a web to be printed, for engaging the edges of the web to bring the web to a width corresponding to the width of said engraved portion of the roll and to direct the Web to said roll, automatic means for independently moving the edges of the web laterally into alinement with the ends of the engraved portion of the printing roll, and a tensioning device interposed between the printing machine and the web edge engaging means.

4. The combination of a printing unit and a machine for propelling and stretching a web to be printed, the printing unit having a pressure cylinder and a printing roll arranged to propel the web, and a tensioning device interposed between the printing unit and the stretching machine.

5. The combination of a printing unit and a machine for propelling and stretching a web to be printed, the printing unit having a pressure cylinder and a printing roll arranged to propel the web and its printing roll having an engravedportion of a predetermined width, said machine being arranged to stretch the web to a width corresponding to the width of the engraved portion of the printing roll and to direct the web to said roll, and a tensioning device interposed between the printing unit and the stretching machine.

6. The combination of a printing unit and a machine for propelling and stretching a web to be printed, the printing unit having a pressure cylinder and a printing roll arranged to propel a textile material, and a tensioning device interposed between the printing unit and the stretching machine, said tensioning device comprising a pair of rolls mounted in fixed bearings over which the web passes and an intermediate roll over the web mounted in movable bearings and pressure means arranged to act upon said movable bearings.

7. The combination of a printing unit and a' v machine for propelling and stretching a web to printing r011 having an engraved portion of predetermined width combined with angularly dis be printed, thevprinting unit having a pressure cylinder and a printing roll arranged to propel a textile material and its printing roll having an engraved portion of a predetermined width, said machine being arranged to stretch the web to a width corresponding to the width of the engraved portion of the printing roll and to direct the Web to said roll, and a tensioning device interposed between the printing unit and the stretching ma- 11. A textile printing machine comprising a printing roll having an engraved portion of preprinting roll having an engraved portion of predetermined width combined with angularly disposed means on each side of a web to be printed,

web to a width corresponding to the width.oi said engraved portion of the roll and to direct the web to said roll, and electrically controlled means associated with the printing roll for independently moving the edges of the web laterally into alinement with the ends of'the engraved portion of theprinting roll.

9. A textile printing machine comprising a printing roll having an engraved portion of pre- -for engaging the edges of the web to bring the determined width combined with angularly disposed means on each side of a web to be printed, for engaging the edges of the web to bring the web to a width corresponding to the width of said engraved portion of the roll and to direct the web to said roll, and electrically controlled means comprising spaced photo-electric tubes positioned near the roll for independently moving the edges of the web laterally into alinement with the ends of the engraved portion of the printing roll.

10. A textile printing machine comprising a printing roll having an engraved portion of predetermined width combined with a machine having angularly disposed wheels arranged to engage the edges of a webto be printed t? bring the web to a width corresponding to the width of said engraved portion of the roll and-to direct the web to said roll, means for drivi said wheels in unison, automatic means forCi-ndependently shifting the edges of the web laterally into alinement with the ends of the engraved portion of the printing roll.

determined width 'combinedwith a machine having angular-1y disposed wheels arranged to engage the edges of a web to be printed to bring the web to a width corresponding to the width of said engraved portion of the roll and to direct the web to said roll, means for driving said wheels in unison, electric motors arranged to change the angularity of said wheels, circuits for causing said motors to run independently in desired directions to maintain the edges of the web in alinement with the ends of the engraved portion of the printing roll, said automatic means comprising spaced photo-electric tubes positioned near the roll. v

12. The combination of a scray, means for feeding a web into the scray,-a printing unit, and means between the scary and the printing machine for stretching and tensioning the web and directing the web to the printing unit.

- 13. The combination ofa scray, means for feeding a web into the scray, a printing unit having means for propelling the web, a stretching machine for receiving the webirom the sc'ray and directing the web to the printing unit and a tensioning device between the stretching machine and the printing unit.

14. The combination of a printing unit and a machine for propelling and stretching a web to be printed, the printing unit having a pressure cylinder and a printing roll arranged to propel the web and its printing roll having an engraved portion of a predetermined width, saidmachine being arranged to stretch the web to a width corresponding to the width of. the engraved portion of the printing roll and to direct theweb to said roll, and an independently controlled tensioning device interposed between the printing unit and the stretching machine.

MURRAY N. BULFORD. 

